HOME hosts annual Walk a Mile in My Shoes

Walk a Mile in My Shoes —
Community Awareness walk to reveal the face of homelessness

Would you know I was homeless? It’s the question Helping Others Make the Effort is asking to those in Osceola County as we work to raise homelessness awareness through a community
awareness walk on Nov. 13, 2010 at 11 a.m.

November is Homelessness Awareness Month and HOME hopes that through the event residents of central Florida can get to know who the homeless really are in their community. Right now, in Osceola County alone, there are over 1000 school-aged children who are homeless. HOME is working to provide safe housing for those children and single mothers through case management, life skills, and transitional living.

Walk a Mile in my Shoes will be held at the Saint Cloud Lakefront, in downtown Saint Cloud, Fla. and registration will be located at Crabby Bill's Restaurant (1104 Lakeshore Boulevard Saint Cloud, Fla. 34769).

Walkers are encouraged to arrive at 10 a.m. for registration and fun at Crabby Bill's patio area and then begin the walk at 11 a.m. The walk will conclude with a statement from HOME board members about homelessness in Osceola County. Each participate will receive a Walk a Mile T-shirt to commemorate the event.

To register for the walk simply go to http://www.osceolahome.org/walkamile.asp and fill out the quick and easy registration form.

Business and individual sponsorships are available for the event. For more information please contact Mary Downey, HOME Deputy Director, at mdowney@osceolahome.org.

We look forward to you being a part of breaking the cycle of homelessness in Osceola County and Central Florida! Sphere: Related Content

Operation Outreach= Success

I'm happy to say that Operation Outreach was a success! According to this article, over 1,000 people were served, but I have it under good authority that the total number of people in attendance well exceeded 1,000. We had a booth out front in the social services fair area, as well as a seat at the housing specialty table in the "west wing." Here's a picture of our table, where we gave out information on our residential program and provided information on food stamps. We also gave away board games and pens, which were both a HUGE hit.
In the west wing, our Family Advocate worked with clients one on one and assessed them for a possible fit with our emergency financial assistance and residential programs. About a half dozen appointments were set as a result of the event, as well as providing information and referral to many, many families.

This is a picture of the event area as things are just starting to get underway- this is my attempt at an "aerial" shot, but since I'm only five feet tall you'll need to use your imagination!


I would be remiss if I didn't mention a few awesome organizations that made this thing happen:
- Osceola County and the social services team there, for putting the whole thing together in a matter of weeks
- Give Kids Safe Shelter, for providing financial support
- Community of Faith Church, who provided not only a whole cadre of trained and smiling volunteers, but also provided financial support
- Our fellow provider agencies

This is why I love Osceola- with partnerships and hard work, a lot can be achieved in a short amount of time! Sphere: Related Content

It's Cold Outside!

With news that it's going to be VERY cold this coming Saturday HOME will not be having their monthly free garage sale. This means that we will be unable to accept donation drop-offs this Friday (Jan. 8, 2010). However, regular yard sales will resume on Feb. 6 from 9-12 and we will accept donations on 2/5 from 9-5. Sphere: Related Content

Super Saver Saturday a success!

Our first Super Saver Saturdays went great! We had nearly 100 people show up to take advantage of the free donations provided by wonderful people in the community! And, we are going to do it again! Our next Super Saver Saturday will be Sept. 12, 2009!

Here's how it works:
1. Donations are dropped off the Friday before, Sept, 11, 2009, between the hours of 10-4, or the day of, to the HOME campus. These can be any items (clothes, furniture, books, etc.)

2. Volunteers will sort the donations on Saturday morning early, and place them in an easy browsing set-up.

3. Families in need of items can come and "shop" until 1 p.m. at no cost to them!

4. Any unclaimed items will be delivered to the Salvation Army, who uses their funds to support emergency shelter in central Florida.

If you would like to participate please contact mdowney@osceolahome.org. Sphere: Related Content

A Very Merry UnBirthday!

Jammies the clown, parachutes, bounce houses and presents — not the typical Saturday on the HOME campus, but a fun one!

On Saturday, July 18, HOME hosted its annual Unbirthday party for the kids living on campus and in the scattered site program. Over twenty-five children, 10 parents, and a slew of volunteers met at 10 a.m. to celebrate the birthdays of all the children through-out the year in one big bash!

The morning started out with kids meeting Jammie, the clown. Jammie did magic tricks, made silly jokes, and told cute stories. The kids then split up by age group for games. There were bounce houses and water balloon tosses, a shoe toss, and even a parachute! The kids spent time in the fresh air playing with each other and working up an appetite for cake!
After games the kids had a scavenger hunt where they looked for their name. Once they found their name card, they turned it in to pick up their birthday present! Each child received a gift of $10-15 value for their "unbirthday" present.

Following gifts, the volunteers brought out a huge, delicious cake and it was served with juice and ice cream sandwiches. After cake and ice cream the kids played on the bounce houses, received balloon animals, and got their face painted by Jammies.
It was a great event and it couldn't have been possible without the help of the community. Each child received a gift, had a great time, and knew that they were cared about.
Thank you to everyone who helped with the Unbirthday Party! We can't wait to do it again next year! Sphere: Related Content

A Very Merry UnBirthday!

HOME is having our very own Unbirthday Party for the kids in our residential and scatter site programs! Each child is looking forward to receiving a birthday present, cake, cookies, and fun and games! The party is planned for July 18 at 10-12 on Saturday morning!

But, don't be like Alice, from Alice in Wonderland, and just sit back and watch! Join in on the fun! HOME has several needs that you can help with and make this the best Unbirthday party ever!

Items Needed:
3 Bounce Houses (if anyone knows a company that would like to donate these for a couple of hours!)

2 Large Sheet Cakes

60 Gifts of $15-25 each (Please call for an assigned child)

100 paper plates

100 plastic cups

10 Blue plastic "party" table clothes

2 large packages of napkins

2 (32 oz) Pink Lemonade mix containers

3 One Gallon Pitchers

3 Gallon Containers Ice Cream

25 $10-25 monetary gifts to cover other expenses

We are asking that all donations be in by Friday, July 9, so we can make sure that we have everything we need to have a GREAT Unbirthday party. If you would like to help please contact Mary Downey at mdowney@osceolahome.org or call 407-433-1248.

Happy Unbirthday to you ... AND YOU!



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Looking for a fun way to help HOME?

Do you like big trucks, motorcycles and helping out your favorite Non-Profit?

Well, we've got just the event for you. This coming Saturday at the AmeraTrail in St. Cloud, FL (4840 E. Irlo Bronson Highway) from 12-3 p.m. there will be a great way to help HOME ... BUY BEER!

All the proceeds from the beer sales at the event will go towards HOME, so every little bit helps. Beers will be 2 for $5, so bring your appetite for fun!
Please come out and support HOME at this fun event with the Xtreme Motorsports Carnival!

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What are YOU doing this Saturday??

This Saturday the 28th from 11AM-4PM there is an event called xtreme motorsports carnival at Muscle Cars & Handlebars.

ALL BEER SALES WILL BENEFIT HOME, so bring your appetite!

There will be all sorts of stunt driving demonstrations, muscle cars, and motorcycles. Our kids have also been invited as there will be a bounce house and other fun stuff. Visit xtrememotorsportscarnival.com for more info. Sphere: Related Content